BRAKY 
WINDOWS 


UC-NRLF 


V 

PARROTT 


GIFT  OF 


Mr.  Sydney  B.  Mite 
University  Llbrarj 
Berkeley, 
California. 

Bear  Mr.  Mitchell: 
Pardon  t 

request  for  " 

rary, 

My  oorre 

ing  the  busy  month 


PRESS  OF 

fHEHANSEN     COMPANY 
SAN    FRANCISCO 


JQibrarp  Wtnboto* 


RETTA   PARROTT 

I        2  O 


HARR  WAGNER  PUBLISHING  CO. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

CALIFORNIA 


Copyrighted  1920 

by 
Retta  Parrott 


LIBRARY      WINDOWS 


Contents 

Page 

Illustration,  "The  First  Rain"        ...  6 

The  First  Rain      .........  7-8 

September  Sunshine         9-10 

Sequoia  and  Spire 11-12 

The  Plaza 13-14 

Falling  Leaves 15-16 

Illustration,  "A  Battle  of  the  Elements"  18 

A  Battle  of  the  Elements 19-20 

A  Winter  Picture        21-22 

A  Blue  Dusk 23-24 

A  Mystic  Morning 25-26 

Swelling  Buds        27-28 

A  Typical  Day 29-30 

Elms  in  Bloom 3T-32 

Fruitage 33-34 

The  Equinoctial  Storm 35~3^ 

The  Factory  Fire        37-38 

The  Easter  Moon        39-40 

Winged  Seeds  .       ........  41-42 

Looking  West         .     . 43-44 

Young  Leaves         45-46 

The  Rainbow 47-48 

A  Perfect  Day       ......     .     .  49-50 

June  Weather 5!-52 

Summer  Clouds 53~54 

Evening  Breezes 55"5^ 

Illustration,  "The  Two  Winds"     ...  58 

The  Two  Winds 59-6o 

Larger  Views 61-62 


4369 


t  ,3 


LIBRARY      WiiiN  .D  "itfi 


jporetoorfc 

"1     "1  ERE  are  twenty-six  sonnets  from 
^  I      I     the  civic  center  of  Sacramento,  the 

L  L  hear t  of  "The  Heart  of  California." 
This  allows  one  for  each  fortnight 
of  the  working  year  which  began  in  the 
fall  of  nineteen-nineteen,  the  dates,  how 
ever,  not  being  distributed  with  perfect 
regularity.  The  sonnets  show  the  principal 
changes  of  the  seasons  as  observed  through 
windows  of  the  City  Library  from  the 
viewpoint  of  the  reference  librarian,  with 
such  reflections  as  naturally  arise  out  of 
the  times  and  the  surroundings.  The  dates 
appended  are  representative  rather  than 
absolute,  although  in  most  cases  not  far 
from  the  day  described,  nor  from  that  upon 
which  the  sonnet  took  form.  If  this  little 
work  shall  give  to  any  one  a  tenth  part  of 
the  pleasure  and  appreciation  of  common 
scenes  which  the  composition  of  it  in  home 
hours  has  given  the  writer,  its  publication 
will  be  fully  justified.  —  R.  P. 


L  I   H..R  A  PJ'Y.;    WINDOWS 


James  oA.  Holdcn 


Page     Six 


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Jf  tost  ftatn 


Page     Seven 


;T' 

I     I    R   R    A    R    Y       WINDOWS 

1  " 

\.j     ±     LJ     ix     JL\.     J.X      i             vv      L     ±*      i-/      v/      >»      kj 

^"Yl  OW  comes  the  first  day  of  the  year 
x.  I    j          for  me, 

*•  ^    And  heaven  responds  by  sending 

the  first  rain: 

Dust  from  the  trees  and  cobwebs  from  the 

brain 

Are  washed  away;  the  weeks  of  travel  free 

O'er  open  road,  and  mountain  trail,  and 

sea, 

Have  helped  the  mind  and  body  to  regain 

Their  wonted  vigor,  and  with  might  and 

main 

Take  up  the  routine  of  the  year  to  be. 

What  matter  that  the  sky  is  lowering, 

Dark   with   the   mottled   gray  of  nimbus 

clouds, 

Or  that  a  robe  of  faded  green  enshrouds 

The  elms,  which  wore  so  rich  a  dress  in 

spring? 

The  Lord  is  mindful  of  impending  dearth 

And  sends  an  early  rain  to  bless  the  earth. 

September  the  First 

Page     EiKht 


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September 


Page     Nine 


1 

ITHRARY       WINDOWS 

\ 

^d 

J.  j       1       JJ      1  v      £\      1  v        1                 \  "        A      JL  >       J_-/       V-/        iv        O 

fA    "'HROUGHOUT  the  year  there  are 

I    1  "^           three  days  and  more 

\r*^  Of  sunshine,  for  each  one  by  cloud 

obscured; 

The  burning  heat  of  summer  is  endured, 

Or  else  escaped  on  mountain,  or  the  shore; 

But  when  September  sun  begins  to  pour 

Its  mellow  light  through  windows,  reas 

sured, 

Home-stayers    smile;    and    wanderers    are 

lured 

Back  to  the  duties  wearisome  before. 

And  yet  it  is  the  radiant  summer  heat 

Which  puts  the  sugar  in  the  grape  and  pear, 

Colors  the  peach,  and  makes  the  orange 

bear 

Its  early  crop  of  luscious  fruit,  and  sweet: 

So,  for  abundant  sunshine,  let  us  lift 

Praises  to  God  for  this  most  perfect  gift. 

September  the  Fifth 

P  a  ge    Ten 


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.Sequoia  anti 


Page     Eleven 


L  I   B  R  A  R   Y      WINDOWS 


f^  f^IEWED   from  remotest  corner  of 
I    /         the  room 
l^  Through  that  southeastern  window 

framed  in  green, 
Is  a  symbolical  and  lovely  scene 
Made  by  the  figures  of  two  spires  which 

loom 

Into  the  sky;  the  tree  seems  to  assume 
The  height  of  the  cathedral  spire,  being 

seen 

At  closer  range;  but  over  both  serene 
Rises  the  shining  cross,  dispersing  gloom. 
The  lifted  cross  will  henceforth  bring  good 

cheer- 
On,  not  a  golden  one,  or  such  as  might 
Be  made  from  that  red-hearted  tree,  whose 

height 
Contests    for    ages,    thousandth    year    on 

year, 

To  reach  the  altitude  of  that  fair  spire- 
Twill  be  the  Christ  as  he  is  lifted  higher! 


October  the  Twelfth 


Page     Twelve 


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Cfje 


Page     Thirteen 


Q 

TTHRARY       WINDOWS 

I 

^5^ 

J.-/      J.       JJ      J.X      JT\.      J.X        1                 \  V        i.      i.  X       1_-/       vy        V  V        kj 

eLEAR  breathing  space  close  to  the 
city's  heart 
Where  children  play  on  ever  ver 

dant  grass 

And  old  men  rest;  where  hurrying  people 

pass 

On  the  diagonal  'twixt  residence  and  mart 

Nor  pause  to  read  the  weather;  where  the 

art 

Of  music  has  its  hour,  the  folk  en  masse 

Gathering  to  sing  or  listen;  where  no  class 

Predominates,  but  each  may  have  a  part: 

This  is  the  plaza.    Here  before  the  dawn 

A  year  ago,  an  earnest  crowd  was  drawn 

To  celebrate  the  first  act  of  world  peace, 

In  wistful  hope  that  war  might  henceforth 

cease. 

Long  may  the  plaza  be  the  open  place 

Where  loyal  citizens  speak  face  to  face! 

November  the  Eleventh 

Page     Fourteen 


•"•    "           .*?''•*..'•  *'•  '  '.  .'"> 

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|| 

JFalltng  Heabes 

Page     Fifteen 


'  .  •    •             '.      •      •      r  ' 

11 

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1 

y$d 

A  V        A        JLJ        AX        2.  JL        AX          A                      V  V          JL        -L  ^i         A_-^        Vx           V  T          ^J 

bWd 

JfVj      'IS  Indian  Summer,  and  the  yellow 
I  1"^          leaves 
VJ-X   Scarce   faltering,   drop  singly   into 

view 

Against  the  velvet  trunks  of  elms,  which 

through 

The  glowing  eastern  window  one  perceives; 

Sunshine  among  the  branches  interweaves 

Its  soft  translucent  light  of  golden  hue, 

Making  a  mural  Claude  Lorrain  might  do, 

With  lines  and  balance  such  as  Low  achieves  : 

Across  the  park  a  funeral  cortege  goes, 

And  in  an  hour  a  second  one  will  pass, 

Bearing  two  gentle,  ripened  friends; 

Fallen,  like  autumn  leaves  upon  the  grass. 

How  delicately  nature  makes  amends 

For  all  that  might  seem  harshness  at  life's 

close. 

November  the  Eighteenth 

Page     Sixteen 


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Page     Seventeen 


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James  cA.  Holden 


Page     Eighteen 


n 

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11 

y*5*Sd 

feWd 

31  Battle  of  tfje  Clements 

Page     Nineteen 


JJ    LIBRARY      WINDOWS 

1 

X^  "1ONDER  the  barren  elm  trees  writhe 
L  /    1          and  lash, 

^4  Turn  pale  and  gray  through  smoky 
gusts  of  rain, 

While    copious    waters    gurgle    down    the 
drain; 

Upon    the   southern    windows   raindrops 
splash 

In  steely  bayonets;  to  north,  a  flash 

Of  lightning  writes  its  zigzag  on  a  pane: 

A  rare  electric  storm  has  come  again 

Charging  all  nature  with  impetuous  dash. 

How  still,  in  contrast,  seems  the  reference 

room  ; 

A  score  of  readers  here  in  quiet  sit, 

Bent  o'er  their  books  in  attitudes  of  ease, 

Upon  no  face  the  slightest  touch  of  gloom: 

Not  strange  the  fact,  when  one  considers  it, 

That  even  in  battle  men  have  felt  great 

peace. 

November  the  Thirtieth 

Page     Twenty 


EC 

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r 

b^d 

&  Winter  Picture 

Page    Twenty-one 


]T]] 

TTHRARY       WINDOWS 

O" 

ii^t       J.       AJ       AX.       J.  v       J.X.         J.                   v  V         A       X  i        A--/       vy         V  T         O 

/^  |"\HITE  clouds  along  the  blue  horizon 

ilJ     fling 

vA^  A  banner  of  six  stripes,  while  to  and 

fro 

The  idle  branches  sway;  a  week  ago 

The  last  leaf  fell,  not  to  be  made  in  spring 

The  sport  of  impish   buds;  quite  gently 

swing 

The  lace-embroidered  boughs,  which  lack 

but  snow 

To  make  a  winter  picture,  and  bestow 

Completion  on  the  season's  offering: 

This,  through  the  eastern  window;  yet  to 

move 

A  few  feet  to  the  left  would  turn  the  scene 

From  wintry  barrenness  to  living  green; 

Magnolia  and  palm  stand  up  to  prove 

Sunshine,  instead  of  snow,  to  be  the  fare 

Accustomed  here,  although  the  elms  are 

bare. 

December  the  Sixteenth 

Page    Twenty-two 


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i^usfe 


Page     Twenty-three 


I 

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1! 

^Jfe 

»*S*Sd 

SOMETIMES  a  cloudy  or  a  foggy 
day 

Will  bring  at  dusk  those  blue  lights 
in  the  sky, 

Looking,   through   windows,   as   if  heaven 
were  nigh; 

Although  without,  the  scene  is  dismal  gray: 

The  cause  must  be  refraction;  or  the  way 

The  glow  from  buff  electroliers  on  high 

And  warm  tones  of  the  wall,  release  the  eye 

So  it  seeks  out  the  azure,  there  to  stay. 

This  is  a  home  for  many;  gathered  here 

Are  those  who  eat  at  restaurants,  and  sleep, 

Perchance,  in  some  cold  room  devoid  of 
cheer; 

They  smile  when  in  this  place,  though  there 
they  weep. 

May  be  in  comfort  to  their  bodies  given 

Their  souls  can  catch  a  nearer  view  of  hea 

ven. 

December  the  Twenty-seventh 

P  a  K  e     Twenty-fou 


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K  jfll&orntns 


Page     Twenty-five 


0 

L   I   B   R  A  R  Y      WIND   O  W  S 

r 

1    >         X         A-/         AX.        J.   V         AX.           JL                       T  T           A         X  ^1           i-  -J         \^J           T  T          k*J 

fsf    "'HIS  morning  a  white  fog  envelops 
f\~\          all 

\r^  The  trees  and  towers;  bedims  the 

gaunt  outline 

Of  Pythian  Castle;  turns  to  specter  fine 

The  death's-head  on  that  medieval  hall, 

Giving  the  whole  new  power  to  appall; 

Makes  ghostly  elms  their  phantom  arms 

entwine; 

Displays,  like  seaweed  floating  in  the  brine, 

The  fan-like  tops  of  trees,  remote  and  tall: 

So  there  are  authors  here  with  art  to  throw 

Illusive  vapor  'round  events,  and  show 

Things    weird,    which    else    were    simple 

verity: 

Such  are  a  Bulwer-Lytton  and  a  Poe, 

Who  in  imagination  love  to  see 

Familiar  things  thus  wrapped  in  mystery. 

January  the  Thirteenth 

Page     Twenty-six 


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Celling 


Page      Twenty-seven 


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f^  |"\HY  be  content  in  sonnets  thus  to 

I  i  J   dwel1 

V*^/  On  views  seen  through  the  windows 

of  one  room; 
Scant  patches  of  blue  sky,  and  trees  which 

loom 
Above    the   sills,   softened    by    buds    that 

swell? 
The  grass  grows  out  of  doors,  we  know  full 

well, 

And  yellow  sunshine  all  the  paths  illume; 
While  pussy-willows  by  the  river  bloom 
And  bluebird  notes  the  coming  spring  fore 
tell. 

Yet  stay!  If  Helen  Keller  could  but  see 
Against  the  sky  those  gently  swelling  leaves, 
That  early  swallow  dipping  from  the  eaves, 
What  would  she  give  for  such  a  sight?  Shall 

we 
Look  with  unseeing  eyes  on  signs  which 

bring 
W7ithin    close    range    these    harbingers    of 

spring? 


January  the  Twenty-fourth 


Page     Twenty-eight 


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Cppical 


Page    Twenty-nine 


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f*  A    LITTLE  haze  of  fog  or  smoke  or 
NL-X          dust, 

*-     *  Though  not  so  much  but  that  the 

sun  shines  through; 
Gray-rimmed  the  sky   and  overhead   the 

blue; 

A  zephyr  neither  cold  nor  warm,  but  just 
Refreshed:  this  types  the  many  days  which 

thrust 
Themselves  between  extremes,  and  which 

but  few 

Remark.     And  should  it  now  occur  to  you 
To  praise  the  day?  "Too  nice,"  the  answer 

of  distrust. 

And  yet,  if  we  but  did  our  part  as  well 
As  God  does  His;  if  all  our  common  days, 
Free  from  anxiety,  were  filled  with  praise 
And  work: — our  faith  would  all  the  fear 

dispel, 

And  great  accomplishment  would  enter  in 
To  lives  now  spoiled  by  fretfulness  and  sin. 


February  the  Seventh 


Page     Thirty 


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in  2Uloom 


Page     Thirty-one 


jl 

I-   I   B   R  A  R  Y      WIND   C)  W  S 

I 

^5^ 

/^'  *7  OR   weeks   I've   tried   that   purple 
^     Tl         flush  to  see 

^•^     Which  writers  say  o'erspreads  the 
elms  in  bloom; 

But  at  the  best,  when  sunshine  floods  the 

room, 

They  only  seem  a  reddish  brown  to  me; 

I  can  imagine  though,  if  wholly  free 

To  choose  the  setting  —  snow,  let  us  assume, 

With  neutral  sky  —  the  elm  trees  plume  on 
plume 

Would  glow  with  color  complementary. 

It  may  be  that  the  Lord  would  sometimes 
bring 

To  us  a  touch  of  beauty  or  of  grace, 

Could  He  detach  us  from  the  commonplace 

Of  selfish  interests  to  which  we  cling; 

What  glory   from   the  Rich  Young  Man 
would  fall 

Had  he  but  answered  to  the  Master's  call! 

February  the  Twenty-eighth 

Page     Thirty-two 


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JFruttage 


Page      Thirty-three 


TT 

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J 

sWd 

£C>^EPARTING  clouds  have  left  the 
1         sky  serene, 
Ot^  And  elms  so  lately  clothed  in  ruddy 
brown 

Have  shaken  all  their  blossom-chaff  adown 

Their    lichen-covered    limbs;    the    lichen's 
sheen 

Is  richly  bronze,  and  of  a  lustrous  green 
In  harmony,  is  the  samara  gown 
In  which  each  elm  is  dressed:  Now  comes 
the  crown 

Of  all  the  year,  the  fruit-time  long  foreseen. 
The  mystery  of  wedded  word  and  thought 
Goes  on  as  inconspicuously  here 
As  unseen  pollen  dust  with  power  fraught 
Changes  the  garb  of  elms  year  after  year: 
And  as  the  sun  lights  up  the  shining  seeds 
Occasion  will  turn  words  to  golden  deeds. 

March  the  Tenth 

Page     Thirty-f6ur 


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| 

^fje  Cqutnoctial  ^torm 

Page     Thir  ty-f  ive 


L   I   B  R   A  R  Y      WIND  ()   W  S 


f*  AN  hour   ago  the   sky   was   heaven's 
\L\         blue 

L     A  Though  flecked  by  ambient  clouds 

all  silver  lined, 

But  now  an  azure  spot  one  scarce  can  find 
So  quickly   have   the  gray  clouds  driven 

through 

From  south  to  north;  from  these  will  brew 
The  equinoctial  storm:  moisture  and  wind 
Are  stirring  ferment,  and  their  force  com 
bined 
Will  serve  to  clothe  the  earth  in  verdure 

new. 

As  suddenly,  and  o'er  a  sky  as  fair, 
The   war   clouds    swept    the    world,    with 

tumult  fraught; 

Fierce  strugglings,  the  ferment  of  unrest, 
Settling  at  last  to  grayness — not  despair — 
For  when  a  vision  of  the  coming  day  is 

caught 
The  purpose  of  the  storm  is  manifest. 


March  the  Twenty-first 


Page     Thirty-six 


j! 

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j 

^&d 

Cije  JFaftorp  jftre 

Page     Thirty-seven 


I 

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\\  1 

^y 

Tl  OW  calm  and  peaceful  seems  the 
^1     I1          sky  tonight! 
L    *•  Just  so  another  eve  Polaris  yearned 
From  his  fixed  seat,  but  eyes  that  north 
ward  turned 

Were  met  with  clouds  of  smoke,  and  then 
the  light 
Of  mounting  flames,  and  suddenly  a  bright 
And  awful   burst  of  licking  tongues,  dis 
cerned 

Before  the  sound  was  heard  of  tanks  which 
burned 

With  loud  explosion,  scattering  affright. 
Of  that  great  fire  the  cause  is  still  unknown. 
Although   a  year  has  passed  away  since 
then- 

Spontaneous  combustion,  say  some  men: 
It  may  have  been  a  torch  by  coward  thrown, 
For  so  sons  of  perdition  plot  to  make 
A  hell  on  earth  for  their  own  father's  sake. 

March  the  Twenty-seventh. 

Page     Thirty-eight 


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I  \ 

Cije  faster  jfl&oon 

Page     Thirty-nine 


IB 

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w 

X^l  "VISES   the  moon  which  brings   the 
(     l^f         Easter  nigh! 
*-\.   It  beams  in  wondrous  beauty  as  of 

old 

On  that  still  Wednesday  —  with  its  tale  un- 

told- 

In  passion  week,  ere  Jesus  was  to  die: 

Against  the  purple  background  of  the  sky 

The  elms  appear  in  drapings  manifold; 

Their  silken  seeds,  like  stitches  of  dull  gold, 

Wrought  in  a  web  of  rich  embroidery. 

Easter,  the  ornate  season,  comes  in  dress 

Of  varied  hues,  a  colorful  array, 

The  vesture  of  the  springtime  fresh   and 

gay; 

But  lilies  now  the  bright  blooms  dispossess 

As  fitter  emblems  of  the  risen  Lord; 

Who  shines,  like  yon  fair  moon,  by  earth 

adored. 

March  the  Thirty-first 

Page     Forty 


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Page     Forty-one 


1 

T     T    H    R    A    R    Y       WINDOWS 

1 

iv     i     u     iv     i\     iv      i             vv      j.      ix      JL/     vy      w      o 

OF  late  the  air  is  full  of  flying  things: 
Home-making  linnets,  busy  with 
romance, 

New-risen  butterflies  that  flit  and  glance, 

And    downy   elm    seeds    trying   out    their 

wings; 

Quite  frequently  is  heard  the  whirr  which 

brings 

The  airplane  near,  and  searching  the  ex 

panse 

From  side  to  side,  we  note  the  swift  ad 

vance 

Of  man-made  bird  which  through  the  ether 

sings: 

The  task  of  these  has  been  to  practice  war 

From  the  adjacent  camp  of  Mather  Field; 

But  now,  most  happily,  war  measures  yield 

To  arts  of  peace,  and  monster  planes  fly  o'er 

The  land,  depositing  their  human  freight 

And  friendly  letters;  seeds  of  love  for  hate. 

April  the  Fourteenth 

Page     Forty-two 


T! 

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~\\ 

Hoofetng  Wt&t 

Page     Forty-three 


I 

L   I   B   R   A  R   V       WINDOWS 

EX 

y*§y 

"t^  ECAUSE  the  earth  is  round,  when 

1"^         one  arrives 

vi>/  At  utmost  western  land,  the  Orient 
Confronts.    View  here  a  scene  significant 
Through  that  west  window;  back  of  it  there 
thrives 

A  bright  ailanthus  tree,  an  immigrant 
From  the  Celestial  Empire;  all  aslant 
Throughout    the    undulating   limbs    there 
drives 

Smoke  from  a  Chinese  laundry,  which  sur 

vives 

Among  the  buildings  of  the  civic  plant  : 
But,  dimly  seen  as  background  to  the  whole, 
There  stands  the  Labor  Temple,  firm  and 
strong; 
Will  it  be  equal  to  the  task  which  long 
Has  exercised  it,  practicing  control? 
A  prayer  must  rise  from  every  sincere  heart 
That  labor  will  with  grace  perform  its  part. 

April  the  Twenty-fifth 

Tage      Forty-four 


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Houns 


Page     Forty-five 


'1 

I     I    H    R    \    R    Y       WINDOWS 

^ 

^Sd 

•Lf       A       AJ       AX.       -t  \       AX         A                   V  V         A       ±  11        A--/       V  y         V  V         O 

^^  *y  ROM    the  main   floor   no   plot   of 
^    Tl         solid  ground 
^^     Is  visible  to  one  who  sits  or  stands 

Except  in  this  small  office,  which  commands 

A  full  view  of  the  park;  but  here  abound 

People,  and  lawns,  and  flowers:  'round  and 

'round 

The  barefoot  children  sport  in  happy  bands 

Beneath  the  elms,  which  laugh  and  clap 

their  hands 

So  merry  do  they  feel  in  leaves  new-found. 

There  is  a  time  to  dance,  the  Preacher  saith, 

And  for  these  boys  and  girls  the  time  is  ripe; 

They  need  no  music  but  the  warbler's  pipe: 

For    the    old    men    on    benches,    short    of 

breath, 

The  time  is  past;  but  they  have  danced  and 

sung 

On  other  May-days  when  the  leaves  were 

young. 

May  tbe  First 

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1 

I     I   B   R    \  R  Y       WINDOWS 

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^5^ 

f^/        JL        AJ        AX.        L  X        AX.          A                      Y  V          A        JL  ^1         J—  ^        V>/          V  T          k-J 

^^  N  March,  one  evening,  eyes  were 

f\  ^J          raised  to  scan 

^•^     The  floating  clouds  which  graced 

the  sky,  when  lo! 

Two  segments  of  an  iridescent  bow 

Appeared   at   windows   wide   apart;    their 

span 

Would  over-arch  the  City  Hall,  whose  plan 

Involves  a  tower  high,  with  clocks  (which 

g° 

At  intervals).  The  government  below, 

Commission  formed,  has  been  since  it  be 

gan 

Somewhat  experimental,  and  this  hour 

It  stands  in  question:  will  it  fade  away? 

Or  will  the  tried  commissioner,  returned 

today 

Bring  to  the  whole  such  harmony  and  power 

That  like  the  bow  with  varied  bands  in  one, 

'Twill  signalize  a  brighter  time  begun? 

May  the  Fifteenth 

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A.  j       ±       JJ       IV       A\.       J.  v         1                   11         A       X  X        J_-/       V/         \V        U 

f  >J      'HESE   days   are   all   so   beautiful, 
|   j  "^          what  could 
\T^  The  Heavenly  Father  do  to  furnish 

one 

Of  such  surpassing  merit,  that  when  done, 

It  might  be  called  a  perfect  day?  He  would 

Not  have  to  make  a  bluer  sky,  nor  should 

The  breeze  which  checks  the  warm  rays  of 

the  sun 

Be  fresher:  had  the  dust  which  has  begun 

To  dim  the  luster  of  the  summer  wood, 

Been  by  an  evening  shower  washed  away, 

Then  this  one  might  have  been  a  perfect 

day. 

Last  month  there  were  such  clean-washed 

days,  with  all 

The  glory  of  the  fleeing  cloud,  the  freshened 

breeze, 

The  rich  and  glossy  leafage  of  the  trees; 

Unlauded  they,  until  beyond  recall! 

June  the  Second 

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June 


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though  He  must  have  heard  the 

wish  of  one 
Who  longed  to  see  a  perfect  day 

and  name 
It  such   while  present  —  first  of  all   there 

came 

A  week  of  clouds  with  intermittent  sun; 
And  then,  before  the  dullness  had  begun 
To  be  monotonous,  a  shower;  the  same 
A  second  night;  straightway  the  days  be 
came 

For  half  a  week  all  perfect,  every  one 
A  model  of  its  kind:  the  first  had  white 
And  shining  clouds  which  flew  like  messen 
gers 

Across  the  sky;  upon  the  next  all  light 
And  still  they  hung,  as  if  loath  to  disperse, 
Trying  the  earth,  like  Lowell's  sky  in  June; 
Today  is  cloudless,  heaven   and  earth   in 
tune. 


June  the  Tenth 


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Summer  Cloubs. 

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LJ        A        AJ        A\.        I\.        AX          A                     VV          A        .L  1         JL-/        Vx          VT          O 

y9s 

f  >J      'HESE  clouds  came  trooping  through 
f    "\           the  Golden  Gate 
\r^  But  yesterday,  in  veils  of  fog  dis 

guised; 

And  now,  like  Raphael's  angels  visualized, 

They    mount    and   soar,    triumphant    and 

elate: 

The  cirro-cumuli,  all  animate 

Like  tumbling  cherubs  come,  well  super 

vised 

By  stately  clouds,  with  forms  etherealized, 

Who  fly  like  seraphs,  watchful  and  sedate. 

True  ministering  angels,  they  all  bear 

Gifts  for  the  valley  in  their  shining  hands, 

They  scatter  moisture  o'er  the  thirsty  lands, 

And  give  a  softness  to  the  heated  air: 

They  drop  no  showers,  those  rarely  come 

at  all 

When  June  is  past,  till  the  first  rain  in  fall. 

July  the  Eleventh 

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/""I  T  matters  not  how  sultry  is  the  heat 
f]  ^"j    Of  noonday,  when  humidity  hangs 
^^           low 

And   trails   upon   the  ground;   at  evening 

blow 

The  breezes  from  the  south,  fresh  and  re 

plete 

With  cooling  powers;  they  change  the  air 

effete 

Which  gathers  where  the  people  come  and 

go 

Or  sit  and  read;  new  vigor  they  bestow, 

With  promise  of  a  night's  repose  complete: 

This  ebb  and  flow  of  atmospheric  tides 

Between  our  inland  valley  and  the  sea, 

Functions  with  pleasing  regularity 

O'er   waterways   where   the   Coast   Range 

divides; 

And  when  the  heat  of  noontide  ebbs  away, 

Sea  breezes  through  the  open  windows  play. 

July  the  Twenty-fifth 

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bW 

^&y 

Cfjc  Ctoo  Wivtot 

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OUR  South  Wind  is  a  buxom  ma 
tron,  young 
And  full  of  hope;    the  rain   is  in 

her  hair, 

And  from  her  arms  blessings  beyond  com 
pare 

Over  expectant  hills  and  vales  are  flung: 
The  wild  locks  of  the  North  Wind  have 
been  wrung 

Free  from  all  moisture;  she  is  old  and  spare, 
Hungry  and  peevish  from  exposure  where 
She  climbed  the  Siskiyous,  on  border  hung. 
When  South  WTind  lays  her  cheek  against 

the  pane 

The  boughs  out  yonder  swing  a  deep  bye- 
low; 

But  when  wind  from  the  north  begins  to 
blow, 

And  scratch  with  sandy  fingers,  and  com 
plain, 

The  branches  seem  all  withered  and  inane; 
The   old   witch   from    the   north   torments 
them  so. 


August  the  Fifth 


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•     •  •'r*  •*"•'  "•.•""::.  :.'•-.• 

T5 

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\ 

/")  |"\ITH  eyes  just  lightly  closed,  but 
/  |              vision  clear 
vA/     Directed  through  the  windows  of 
the  soul, 

Vacation  pictures  which  embrace  the  whole 

Of  California's  length  and  breadth  appear: 

The  snow-crowned  Shasta,  lone,  but  un- 

austere; 

Jewelled  Tahoe,  sparkling  in  ample  bowl  ; 

Kuir  Tissaack  in  rosy  aureole, 

And  twinkling  cities  from  Mount  Lowe 

so  sheer; 

The  creeping  waves  on  Coronado's  sand, 

And  breakers  on  the  coast  of  Monterey; 

The  crimson  clouds  of  San  Francisco  Bay. 

Rare  panorama  of  our  sunset  land! 

What  blame  if,  from   the  glimmer  of  the 
heat, 

One's   eyes   are   closed    for   visions    fresh, 
though  fleet? 

August  the  Twelfth 

P  a  K  e     Sixty -two 


••r 


YC   14445 


436979 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


